SUKHUMI. June 7 (Interfax) - The U.S. recognition of 'neutral passports' is an erroneous decision, Abkhaz Deputy Foreign Minister Irakli Khintba told a Thursday press conference in Sukhumi.
"This is another strategic miscalculation of the [U.S. President Barack] Obama administration, similar with the application of the 'occupied territories' term to Abkhazia and South Ossetia," he said.
'Neutral passports' have nothing to do with the reconciliation and settlement of the conflict about which U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke. "That will do nothing but incite Georgia to new adventures," the diplomat said.
The Abkhaz Foreign Ministry has a sample of a 'neutral passport', Khintba said.
"This is a Georgian document issued by Georgian authorities and, what is the most important, envisaged by the Georgian strategy for the occupied lands. It carries the code of the country of the passport issuance - GEO (Georgia)," he noted.
They are trying to coerce citizens of Abkhazia and South Ossetia into accepting Georgian passports by hook or by crook, he said.
"Our citizens have been through a cruel war and a blockade, they have created an independent state and they will never accept these documents," Khintba said.
He also said he was not surprised but 'slightly disappointed' with the statement of Clinton because Abkhazia was used to the unfriendly steps of the American administration.
"The Americans had a chance to learn the real opinion of the Abkhaz society. U.S. politicians, researchers and a delegation of the very large organization funded by the U.S. government - USAID have been to Abkhazia," he said.
"I am surprised with the lack of understanding by the U.S. authorities that the Georgian 'neutral passport' adventure is doomed to fail and they should not assign funds for backing it. We also see that the real goal of the Obama administration is not the protection of citizens of Abkhazia but geopolitical schemes and connivance with the whims of their Tbilisi puppets," he said.